Gates of the type employed in residential fences commonly utilize inexpensive gate latches available from most hardware stores. Typically, such latches incorporate a latch bolt which is fastened to the gate; and, a pivotable latching member which is fastened to the gate post, in alignment with the latch bolt. When the gate is closed, the latch bolt is forced past the latch plate, which then drops into position over the latch bolt, thus capturing the latch bolt and holding the gate in the closed position. To open the gate one lifts the latch plate clear of the latch bolt, thereby allowing the latch bolt to swing clear of the latch plate when a force is applied to open the gate.
Problems are encountered if it is desired to open the gate from the side opposite that to which the latch mechanism is fastened. If the gate is sufficiently short, then a tall person may be able to reach over the top of the gate and lift the latch member, thereby freeing the latch bolt and allowing the gate to be opened. However, this technique is often not a viable option. An alternative technique which is sometimes employed is to cut a hole in the gate proximate to the latch bolt. The hole is made sufficiently large that a person's hand may pass through the hole to open the latch as aforesaid. However, this technique is undesirable because it may weaken the gate and degrade the gate's appearance.
Another prior art technique is to pivotally attach a rod to the side of the gate, near the latch, such that opposed ends of the rod project outwardly from either side of the gate, when the gate is closed A short length of string or chain couples the latch plate to the rod end which projects outwardly on the latch side of the gate. A person wishing to open the gate from the side opposite the latch pivots the rod, thereby lifting the latch plate and freeing the latch bolt so that the gate can be opened.
Another frequently employed technique is to drill a hole through the gate post. One end of a piece of string, rope, cord, chain, etc. is fixed to the latch plate. The opposite end is threaded through the gate post hole and left hanging from the side of the gate post opposite that to which the latch plate is fastened. A person wishing to open the gate from the side opposite the latch may pull the hanging string, thereby lifting the latch plate and freeing the latch bolt so that the gate can be opened. Various embodiments of this "string pull" technique are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,235,560 issued Aug. 7, 1917 for an invention of Deloatch entitled "Gate Latch"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,831 issued Aug 16, 1966 for an invention of Banse entitled "Automatic Latch"; and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,518 issued Mar. 18, 1969 for an invention of Foltz entitled "Latch Assembly".
The "string pull" technique is relatively unsophisticated and prone to breakage of the string. The prior art has however evolved a variety of "push-pull" rod type mechanisms for controlling the opening and closing of gate or door latches. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 37,567 issued Feb. 3, 1863 for an invention of Cooper entitled "Door Latch" discloses a mechanism in which a rod is connected between handles provided on opposite sides of a door. The rod is connected to a door latch mechanism to enable the latch to be opened or closed by pushing or pulling either of the handles, depending upon the side from which the door is to be opened. U.S. Pat. No. 1,591,383 issued July 6, 1926 for an invention of Herzing entitled "Closure Latch"; and, U.S. Pat. No. 2,627,433 issued Feb. 3, 1953 for an invention of Wolfe entitled "Door Latch" disclose other "push-pull" rod type mechanisms comparable to that of Cooper.
Although providing more positive control over the latch mechanism than the "string pull" technique, the "push-pull" rod techniques exemplified by Cooper, Herzing and Wolfe are directed to use with specific latch mechanisms. More particularly, these prior art arrangements are unsuited to use with the commonly used gate latch described above. The present invention provides a gate latch control device specifically adapted for use with such gate latches.